A Simple Question
by AnimeDutchess
Summary: Hints of Palletshipping, inspired by reading too much het at one time. May's simple question leads to Misty having a freakout, and Dawn curious for an answer. OneShot.


_**A Simple Question**_

By AnimeDutchess

A/N: This is just a random oneshot I thought of while reading fanfics…not really inspired by one fic, per say, more like…I really wanted to read a fic like this, but there weren't any, so…I decided to write one.

Besides, all the het fics I was reading were starting to get to me…ugh…don't get me wrong, Contestshipping rocks, but after a while you just get _tired_ of reading about straight couples. They don't have the same rush as yaoi couples do…heh heh…

I'm also using the stuff I remember from evidence on shipping websites to make this interesting. FYI.

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Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon, Gary and Ash would proclaim their undying love for each other, May and Drew would finally get together, Paul would stop being such an ass and date Dawn, and Brock would get some. But since none of that stuff is happening, I guess I don't own it, huh?

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"Do you think Ash is gay?"

Dawn almost choked on the cookie she was munching on, May's question startling her with its suddenness and randomness. She, along with many of Ash's other close friends (and rivals), had been invited to Pallet Town for a large party that didn't really have a purpose. That was where she met May, a fellow coordinator and former traveling companion of Ash, and the two had immediately hit it off. They'd spent most of the day conversing about coordinating techniques, the various adventures each had experienced, and their Pokemon, before they moved to the traditional conversation topic of all young girls: boys.

Of course, Dawn was still unsure as to how May had thought of _that_ particular question. She took a sip of her milk before responding, both to clear her throat and to stall.

"Well, I…haven't really given it a lot of though…" She said, placing her cup of milk back onto the table they were sitting at, the outdoor party milling around them. "I mean, I really haven't…_known_ Ash long enough to even _consider_ thinking about…" She then blushed in embarrassment. "Why would I wanna even _think_ about his sexuality?" May shrugged, unfazed by Dawn's flustered appearance.

"I dunno," The brunette answered, leaning back in her chair, "It's just, I've…noticed some things." She leaned forward again, moving slightly closer to Dawn, her voice hushed. "Like, he never flirts with girls." Dawn blinked.

"You noticed that, too?" She asked. May nodded. "Wow…I thought I was the only one…" Dawn was immediately pulled into the topic. "I just assumed that he was really dedicated to his Pokemon, and didn't notice stuff like romance because of that." The brunette coordinator nodded again.

"I did, too," She said, "But that's just a lousy excuse. I mean, Ash is what, fourteen, fifteen? Surely his hormones have kicked in by _now_…"

"Yeah!" Dawn's dark blue eyes shone with enthusiasm. "I mean, if he did like girls, we would have noticed him hitting on them, or _some_thing!"

"Exactly!" May also shared the fervor that had generated inside Dawn. "And he doesn't get very touchy with girls, either. He only touches girls when he needs to, but he hangs around other guys like it's nothing at all!" Dawn raised an eyebrow at May's new evidence. "Seriously! Ash would never grab my hand or hug me or _any_thing unless it was absolutely necessary, like, life-threatening-wise. But with guys…" The blue-haired girl leaned back in her seat, mulling over May's words.

"Well, I don't know about that…" She said slowly. "I mean, Ash and I give each other high-fives a lot…" May waved off Dawn's flimsy excuse.

"Well, that depends. Did you guys do them after one of you won a battle or something?" When Dawn nodded, May smirked triumphantly. "Exactly. Ash is just the kinda guy who'd do stuff like that. He wouldn't touch a girl unless he had no choice but to do so, or in your case, for luck or something."

"Maybe that just means he's polite, ever think of that?" The new voice in the conversation belonged to a red-haired girl, who took a seat next to May, a cup of punch in her hands. Dawn gave her a confused look, while May smiled in recognition.

"Hey, Misty," She said happily, "I was wondering where you were!" Misty grinned, placing her cup on the table.

"I got held up; my bike chain got messed up on Route 1." She looked passed May and saw Dawn. "Oh, hello, there. You're…Dawn, right?" Dawn blinked.

"Er…yeah. How did-"

"I know your name?" Misty finished for her. Dawn nodded. "Well, Ash told me he'd been traveling with a blue-haired girl named Dawn in Sinnoh. Since you're the only girl I've seen around here with blue hair, I just naturally assumed." She then laughed, realizing something. "Oh, I feel stupid; I didn't introduce myself!" Misty grinned, winking. "I'm Misty, leader of the Cerulean City Gym! I'm a Water Pokemon trainer, and I'm damn good at what I do." Dawn's eyes lit up.

"A gym leader? Really? That's so cool!" She exclaimed. "I've got two water Pokemon myself, a Piplup and a Buizel." It was Misty's turn for her eyes to light up.

"Ooh, water types from Sinnoh!" She said. "Would you mind showing them to me sometime?" Before Dawn could answer her, May cut into the conversation.

"Hold on, hold on! Weren't we talking about Ash being gay before?" Dawn snapped out of the trance she'd seemed to be in.

"Oh yeah…"

"W-W-What?!?" Misty had almost fallen out of her chair when she heard May. "Y-You…you two think…Ash might be _gay_?" When the two coordinators nodded, the red-head twitched. "Ew, no way! Ash is totally straight." She had a smug, confident look on her face. "I've known him longer than either of you, so it's obvious that I'd know him better than either of you." May raised an eyebrow, skeptical.

"Well, that may be true, but it all boils down to what you've seen during your travels." The brunette had a serious look on her face. Dawn was silent, curiosity keeping her from interrupting May's interrogation of the young gym leader. The brunette tented her fingers and gave Misty an inquisitive look. "Has Ash ever been attracted to any girls during the time you traveled with him?"

"Hm…" Misty scrunched up her nose in concentration. "Well…no, not really, except if you count that time he thought this one chick from a Pokemon academy was hot…but she had a love interest already, so I don't think that counts…" Her eyes then lit up. "Oh! But there's something ever weirder. This one time, we were at this town, and it was near the end of summer, right?"

"Right…" May and Dawn nodded in unison, wanting Misty to continue.

"Well, there was this ghost, right, of a really pretty girl, and she was irresistible to men, but Ash…he didn't even blush or anything around her!" Misty took a deep breath. "I guess…that might mean something…" May smirked triumphantly.

"I see…" She said softly. She cleared her throat, readying another question. "And has Ash ever gotten touchy with guys for seemingly no reason?" The red-head bit the inside of her lip.

"Well, there was a couple times where he's hugged Brock when something freaked him out…" Misty snickered. "They were funny, actually. But I don't think he likes Brock or anything." The other two sweat-dropped and nodded; everyone knew that Brock was the epitome of straight.

"Is that all?" Dawn asked. Misty nodded hesitantly.

"Yeah, I think so…" Her eyes started to wander. "I can't really think of anyo-" The words seemed to stick in Misty's throat, her blue eyes widening as realization hit. "Oh…shit…" Ma and Dawn looked at each other, confused.

"What, what's wrong, Misty?" May asked, concern apparent on her face. The girl in question groaned, leaning her forehead on the table.

"Why didn't I see it before?" She complained, her hands working their way into her fiery hair. "Ash always, _always_ has a major freak-out if _he_ insults him! They were friends _way_ before they became rivals! And that day at the Viridian City Gym…" Misty paled. "I _knew_ that whole time where we were all at the Professor's was just one big subtext between them!" The two coordinators flinched as Misty kicked one of the table's legs out of frustration. "Wwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!" Misty got up so fast that her chair fell over, but she didn't seem to notice as she stormed off.

"Er…" May sweat-dropped. "I…guess she knows something we don't…"

"Maybe she figured out whether Ash is gay or not," Dawn offered as an answer. The brunette shrugged.

"Probably." She then snickered. "It sure sounded like she thought that Ash might be after someone. Wonder who it is?" The blue-haired girl shrugged.

"I dunno. Wanna go ask Brock about this?"

"Eh, sure, why not?"

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A/N: Heh heh heh…implied Palletshipping…eff yeah! The fic sucks, though. T.T

Eh, well, it didn't turn out as awesome as I hoped. If you got any enjoyment out of this, please let me know. Ja Ne. - AnimeDutchess


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